Katihar is a city situated in the eastern part of the state of Bihar in India. It is the headquarters of Katihar district and Katihar railway division. It is one of the important cities of Bihar. It is also a main stop on the Barauni–Guwahati line.

Katihar
City
Katihar Junction
Katihar is located in Bihar
Katihar
Katihar
Location in Bihar
Katihar is located in India
Katihar
Katihar
Location in India
Coordinates: 25°32′N 87°35′E / 25.53°N 87.58°E / 25.53; 87.58
Country India
State Bihar
RegionKosi-Seemanchal
DistrictKatihar
Urban AgglomerationKatihar
Government
 • BodyKatihar Municipal Corporation
Area
 • Total
50.46 km2 (19.48 sq mi)
Elevation
20 m (70 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total
240,565
 • Rank117
DemonymKatiharites
Language
 • OfficialHindi[2]
 • Additional officialUrdu[2]
 • RegionalAngika[3] Maithili,[4] Bengali[5] and Surjapuri language
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
854105 (Katihar Main),854109 (katihar north),854103 (katihar South) ,854107 (katihar west) [6]
Vehicle registrationBR-39
Lok Sabha constituencyKatihar
Vidhan Sabha constituencyKatihar
Websitekatihar.bih.nic.in

History

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Katihar is a part of the Mithila region.[7] Mithila first gained prominence after being settled by Indo-Aryan peoples who established the Mithila Kingdom (also called Kingdom of the Videha's).[8]

During the late Vedic period (c. 1100–500 BCE), Kingdom of the Videha's became one of the major political and cultural centers of South Asia, along with Kuru and Panchal. The kings of the Kingdom of the Videhans were called Janakas.[9] The Mithila Kingdom was later incorporated into the Vajjika League, which had its capital in the city of Vaishali, which is also in Mithila.[10] Later it was dominated by Chaudhary family who were the biggest landlord of Kosi commissioner and holds approximately 15,000 acres of land in Katihar district and 8,500 acres in Purnia district. The founder of Chaudhary family was Taj Ali Chaudhary and his four sons Chaudhary Khuda Baksh, Chaudhary Qadir Baksh, Khan Bahadur Chaudhary Mohammad Baksh and Elahi Baksh.

Transport

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Road

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Katihar is connected through road network to the neighboring cities of Bihar. Interstate bus services are not available. A highway   NH 131A, however, connects it to Purina, from where   NH 27,   NH 231 and   NH 31 passes through or starts through. Katihar is near to Bhagalpur

The nearest airport is located at Purnia Airport near Purnia (30 km), but it is an Airforce station. The nearest commercial airport is located at Bagdogra Airport (160 km) near Siliguri (West Bengal). However, recently the government has announced to open an air force base airport in Chunapur, Purnia to be allowed to use for commercial use. However, it is not operational yet.

Rail

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Katihar Junction is a major strategic Railway Junction under Northeast Frontier Railway which connects North East India with the rest of India.[11]

Education

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Katihar Ramakrishna Mission

Katihar has many education institutions, including:

Government colleges
Other important institutes

Demographics

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Historical Population
YearPop.±%
19019,761—    
191110,219+4.7%
192114,533+42.2%
193115,864+9.2%
194126,326+65.9%
195142,365+60.9%
196159,344+40.1%
197180,121+35.0%
1981122,005+52.3%
1991154,367+26.5%
2001190,873+23.6%
2011240,838+26.2%
Source: District Census Handbook[28]

As per the 2011 census, Katihar Urban Agglomeration had a population of 240,565.[29] Katihar Urban Agglomeration includes Katihar (municipal corporation plus outgrowth) and Katihar Railway Colony (outgrowth).[30] Katihar Municipal Corporation had a total population of 225,982, out of which 119,142 were males and 106,840 were females. It had a sex ratio of 897. The population below 5 years was 31,036. The literacy rate of the 7+ population was 79.87 per cent.[31] Katihar is at 193rd rank in terms of its population among the top 200 cities of India as per the 2011 census.

Religion

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Religion in Katihar city (2011)
Religion Percent
Hinduism
76.90%
Islam
22.10%
Others
1.00%

Hinduism is major religion in Katihar city with 185,196 Hindus (76.9%) and 53,213 Muslims (22.1%). Other religions include 794 Christians (0.33%), 373 Sikhs (0.15%), 221 Jains (0.09%), 70 Buddhists (0.03%) and 960 (0.4%) not stated.[32]

Climate

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The climate of Katihar has widespread rainfall during the monsoons, sometimes bringing floods to the adjoining rural areas of the Katihar District.[33][34]

River

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  1. Koshi River - the lifeline of Katihar.
  2. Ganga River - The Holy river.
  3. Mahananda River- The Pristine River.
  4. Righa River - The quiet Companion.
  5. Buri Gantok River- The Water Ways Connection.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "KATIHAR". Cseindia.org. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  2. ^ a b "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities In India" (PDF). nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  3. ^ Masica, Colin P. (9 September 1993). The Indo-Aryan Languages. Cambridge University Press. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-521-29944-2.
  4. ^ Kumari, Arunima (19 January 2021). Encyclopedia of Bihar: Encyclopedia of Bihar: Uncovering the Rich Heritage and History by Arunima Kumari. Prabhat Prakashan. ISBN 9789350483909.
  5. ^ कटिहार में बंगाली समुदाय में धूमधाम से मनाई गई लक्खी पूजा.
  6. ^ Katihar
  7. ^ "Bihar assembly elections 2020: BJP eyes winning push from Mithila | Bihar Assembly Elections 2020 Election News - Times of India". The Times of India. 25 September 2020.
  8. ^ Michael Witzel (1989), Tracing the Vedic dialects in Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes ed. Caillat, Paris, pages 13, 17 116–124, 141–143
  9. ^ Witzel, M. (1989). "Tracing the Vedic dialects". In Caillat, C. (ed.). Dialectes dans les litteratures Indo-Aryennes. Paris: Fondation Hugot. pp. 141–143.
  10. ^ Hemchandra, R. (1972). Political History of Ancient India. Calcutta: University of Calcutta.
  11. ^ "Railways resume goods train services for North East states". The Indian Express. 29 August 2017. Retrieved 1 October 2024.
  12. ^ "Ramakrishna Mission Ashrama, Katihar". Archived from the original on 20 February 2020. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
  13. ^ "Colonels Acadamey – Every Child has Potential". Colonelsacademy.in. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  14. ^ "Home". Isei.in. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  15. ^ "JNV Katihar". Nrj7017.github.io.
  16. ^ "Kendriya Vidyalaya". Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  17. ^ "Manipal Public School, Katihar - Reviews, Address, Fees and Admissions 2022". Icbse.com.
  18. ^ "Welcome to S.B.P. Vidya Vihar S.B.P. Vidya Vihar Katihar". Spvidyaviharkatihar.com. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  19. ^ "Welcome to Scottish Public School". Scottishpublicschool.in. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  20. ^ "dspgcollege.org". 12.dspgcollege.org. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  21. ^ "::Welcome to Govt. Polytechnic Katihar, Bihar ::". Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  22. ^ "Welcome to K.B. Jha College". Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  23. ^ "เว็บหวยที่จ่ายแพงที่สุด พันทิป". Mjmmahilacollege.com. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  24. ^ "Welcome to Sita Ram Chamaria Degree College Katihar | Sita Ram Chamaria Degree College". Srcdcollege.com. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  25. ^ "Katihar Medical College". Katihar Medical College. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  26. ^ "Suryadeo Law College, Katihar | Law College in Katihar | Law College in Bihar". Suryadeolawcollege.com. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  27. ^ "Welcome To Maharshi Menhi Homoeopathic Medical College And Hospital". Mmhmch.org. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  28. ^ District Census Handbook katihar Part-A (PDF). katihar: Directorate of Census Operations, Bihar.
  29. ^ "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  30. ^ "Constituents of urban Agglomerations Having Population 1 Lakh & above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  31. ^ "Cities having population 1 lakh and above" (PDF). Provisional Population Totals, Census of India 2011. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
  32. ^ "Katihar City Population 2022 - Sex Ratio, Population Density, Literacy". www.indiacensus.net. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  33. ^ "Bihar flood situation worsens as major rivers spate; IMD issues heavy rain alert". Hindustan Times. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  34. ^ "Floodwaters enter four blocks in Katihar district". The Times of India. 15 August 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
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